Nikon 10.5cm (105mm) f/4 NIKKOR-T Preset Nippon Kogaku Japan Manual Focus Lens (Mountain Elmar Style)

Nippon Kogaku's 105mm f/4 Preset, Built Mountain Elmar Style

This is a piece of Nikon's rangefinder-era lens making, a 105mm f/4 NIKKOR-T built in the preset tradition and styled after the compact "Mountain Elmar" format popularized by Leica shooters who needed long glass without long bulk. Nippon Kogaku engineered it as a preset design, meaning aperture selection happens through a manual ring-stop system than a coupled iris. You set your working aperture in advance, focus wide open for a bright view, then rotate to the preset click and shoot at that value without hunting for the stop mid-frame.

At 105mm and f/4, this lens sits in a focal length that's long enough to compress perspective for portraiture and detail work but still small enough to carry all day, a hallmark of the Mountain Elmar concept: telephoto reach in a barrel you'd mistake for a standard lens. The fixed 105mm focal length means no zoom creep, no complexity, just a single well-corrected optical path.

Handling a lens like this means working the way photographers did before autoexposure took over. It rewards deliberate framing and a slower, more considered shooting rhythm. For collectors and users of Nikon's early rangefinder system, it represents a compact telephoto option worth having in the bag, a mechanical link to a period when lens design meant precision machining over software correction.

Who It's For

Rangefinder shooters running vintage Nikon bodies get a compact 105mm telephoto option that avoids the bulk of later SLR-mount long lenses. Collectors of Nippon Kogaku glass will value the preset aperture mechanism itself, a design detail distinct from later fully automatic diaphragm lenses. Portrait photographers working in manual, deliberate setups benefit from the 105mm focal length's natural compression for head-and-shoulders framing. Photographers who shoot travel or documentary work on manual rangefinder systems will appreciate the Mountain Elmar-style form factor, since a 105mm lens this compact stays out of the way until the moment you need the reach.

Key Features

• Fixed 105mm focal length with f/4 maximum aperture
• Preset aperture system with manual ring-stop control
• Designed in compact Mountain Elmar format for rangefinder systems
• Mechanical focus and aperture with no electronic components
• Purpose-built for Nikon rangefinder-era camera systems

FAQ

What mount does this 105mm f/4 use?

The mount type is not documented in the available specifications. Check the lens barrel or contact KEH directly to confirm compatibility with your rangefinder body.

Is this a true telephoto or a retrofocus design?

It's a preset rangefinder lens built in the Mountain Elmar compact style, engineered for long reach without the bulk of a traditional telephoto. The optical path is fixed at 105mm f/4.

How does the preset aperture system work?

You manually set your working aperture via a ring-stop system before shooting. Focus wide open for a bright rangefinder view, rotate the preset ring to your chosen click-stop, then shoot. No coupled iris hunting between frames.

What's the practical focal length equivalent for 35mm shooting?

The lens is a fixed 105mm focal length. On a rangefinder, that's your working focal length without crop factor adjustments.

Who would actually use this lens today?

Nikon rangefinder system shooters and collectors of mechanical lens design. It's built for deliberate, manual operation - not autofocus or autoexposure workflows. You're working the camera, not letting the camera work for you.

Does this lens have autofocus or electronic aperture control?

No. It's a manual focus, preset aperture design. All focusing and aperture control are mechanical, with no electronic components.